Hoisting apparatus.



Patented Oct. I5, IQUI.

E. H. BROWNING.

HOISTING APPARATUS.

(Application led Jan. 7, 1901.)

(No Model "Unire raras PATENT Fries.

EARL II. BROWNING, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

HOISTING APPARATUS.

SEECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent NO. 684,599, dated October 15, 1901.

Application filed January 7, 1901. Serial No. 42,388. (No model.)

To @ZZ 'LU/71.0111. t may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL H. BaowNrNe, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in I-Ioisting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hoisting apparalus, and has particular reference to the drums and their driving mechanism which are employed for operating clam-shell or orangepeel buckets-such as are shown, for example, in the patent to I-Iulett, No. 516,864, dated March 20,18%. In operating a bucket of this character it is necessary to completely close the same before it is hoisted and to hold it closed while it is being hoisted and swung to the desired point for dumping. This is done by hauling in on the bucket-closing rope or cable, which rst closes the bucket and then lifts the same. When it has reached the desired point, this cable must be released in order to dump the contents of the bucket. lVhen so released, the bucket would simply be lowered and not dumped were other means not provided for holding it elevated. For this purpose I employ a second cable, called a dumping-cable, which is wound upon a second drum. This cable must be ready to take and support the weight of the bucket immediately after the bucket-closin g cable is released, but must not be permitted to act in this manner until that time, else the bucket will be lifted before it is completely closed. To insure the proper operation of the bucket, therefore, it is best to close and lift the same with the bucket-closing cable only and in the meanwhile haul in on the dumping-cable, so as to have it ready to support the bucket when the bucket-closing cable is released. While the bucket is opening, the drum for 'the closing-cable must be free to turn to permit the latter to run off; but the drum for the dumping-cable must be held to support the bucket. When the latter is fully open, however, the dumping-dru 1n is also released and the bucket is lowered, the two cables being drawn off of their respective drums together. In closing the bucket the closing-cable must be hauled in a certain definite amount before the dumping-drum is turned to haul in on its cable. From this statement it will be seen that there must be a definite amount of lost motion provided between the two drums to permit the bucket to be closed without hoisting and to permit the same to be opened without lowering. This lost motion I secure by means of the device illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which- Figure lis a longitudinal sectional view through the drums; and Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof 0n the line 2 2 of Fig. l, the same being on a smaller scale.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the speci fieation and drawings.

l is the drum-sl1aft,which is mounted atits ends to turn in bearings in the frame-pieces. These frame-pieces may be of any suitable form, and as they are not a part of my present invention I have not deemed it necessary to show them in the drawings. Loosely j ournaled on the drum-shaft near one end is the large driving-gear 2, which derives its motion from the hoisting-engine. (Not shown.) This gear turns independently of the drum-shaft, except at such times as itis clutched therewith by means hereinafter referred to. Keyed to the shaft l, so as to force the same to turn therewith7 is the bucket-closing drum 3, the key being shown at 4. This drum is provided at its end next the driving-gear with a large brake-flange 5, upon which operates the holding brake-band (i. Bycausingthe brakeband to frictionally engage the flange the drum 3 may be held in any desired position. The bucket-closing drum carries a clutch member (represen ted at 7) which is connected with and operates a friction clutch-band 8, causing the same to grasp the flange 9 of the drivinggear 2. This clutch may be constructed and operated in any desired way, and as it forms no part of my present invention I shall not further describe the same. When operated, however, the bucket-closing drum is connected with and driven by the driving-gear to close and hoist the bucket, and as the drum is keyed to the shaft l it is also driven. As has been explained above, after the drum 3 has been turned a predetermined amount to close the bucket it becomes necessary to start the du mping-drum to haul in its cable along with the one that has just closed the bucket in order that it may be in condition to support the latter when the bucket-closing drum and its cable have been IOO released. It is therefore necessary tohave a predetermined amount of lost motion existingvbetween the two drums. To secure this, I cut threads 10 on a portion of the drumshaft 1 which projects beyond the bucketclosing drum 3. Loosely journaled on this end of thc shaft and surrounding the threaded portion thereof is the dumping-drum 11, having bearings at its ends only. Traveling back and forth upon the threaded portion of this shaft and within the dumping-drum is a nut 12, which is of the form best seen in Fig. 2, having diametrically opposite extensions 13. These extensions are bifurcated t0 embrace loosely ribs 14, which are formed on the interior of the drum 11. It will be seen that if either the drum or the shaft is turned relatively to the other the nut will be screwed along the shaft in a direction dependent on the direction of the relative movement. This motion of the nut will continue until it contacts with the interior bearing of the drum or with the collor 15 on the shaft,when itwill be arrested and any further relative movement be prevented. The collar 15 is provided in order that the force of the impact of the nut with its stop, due principally to the momentumofthemovingparts,willbe sustained by the shaft itself rather than by the outer head of the drum and the framework of the machine. 'lhe d umping-drum 1l is also provided with a large brake-flange 16, upon which lhears the friction brake-strap 17. Assuming that the bucket has just been lowered and is resting in an open position upon the material it is desired to remove, the nut12 will beat one end of its thread. The operator throws the clutch-band 8 into engagement with the flange t) and then starts the bucket-closing drum 3 and with it the drum-shaft 1, the drum 11 remaining stationary, owingto the weight of the bucket. This start-s the nut toward the other end of its thread, and just after the bucket is closed it contacts with its stop and locks the drinn 11 to the shaft. The two drums now rotate in unison and when the bucket has been hoisted and swung to the desired spot the clutch mechanism is released to prevent further hoisting` and the brake 17 is applied to the dumping-drum to prevent lowering. This permits the drum 3 and the shaft 2 to rotate freely in a reverse direction to that first described ,while the bucket opens, the nut 12 being moved back along its thread. I'Vhen the bucket is fully opened and the contents dumped, it is lowered gradually by means of the brake 17 and swung into position for lling again. The journals of the dumping-drum are provided with the necessary oil-ducts 1S and 19, to which oil is supplied by means of the grease-cups 2O and 21, and in order to prevent undue wear between the nut 12 andthe threads 10 I line the former v the idea of having two drums with a definite amount of lost motion between same, as that is claimed in a former application of mine tiled .Iuly 23, 1900, Serial No. 24,469; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In adeviee of the character described, a shaft, a drum keyed to the shaft so that the two are driven together, a second drum rotatably'monnted on said shaft so that either may turn relatively to the ot-her, and means for locking the two together after a relative rotation of a predetermined amount.

2. In a device of the character described, a shaft, a drum mounted on andkeyed to said shaft, means for driving the drum and with it the shaft, a second drum rotatably mounted on the shaft so that either may turn relatively to the other, and means for locking the second drum and the shaft together after a relative rotation of a predetermined amount.

3. In a device of the character described, a shaft, a driving-gear loosely mounted on said shaft, a drum keyed to the shaft and means for driving the drum and shaft from the driving-gear, a second drum rotatably mounted on the shaft so that either may turn relatively to the other, and means for locking the second drum and the shaft together after a relative rotation of a predetermined amount.

et. In a device of the character described, a shaft which is screw-threaded for a portion of its length, a drum keyed to said shaft, means for turning the drum and the shaft, a second drum rotatably mounted on the shaft and surrounding the threaded portion thereof, a nut traveling on said threaded portion and slidably engaging with the interior of the drum, and means for limiting the travel of the nut so that the drum and the shaft bccome locked together.

5. In a device of the character described, a shaft which is screw-threaded for a portion of its length, a drum keyed to said shaft, means for turning the drum and the shaft, a second drum rotatably mounted on the shaftand surrounding the threaded portion thereof, a nut traveling on said threaded portion and slidably engaging with the interior of the drum, and a collar Asecured to the shaft at the end of the threaded portion to form a stop for the nut so that the travel of the latter is cheeked, and the second drum becomes locked to the shaft.

6. In a device of the character described, a

lpair of drums mounted in axial alinement,

means for driving one of the drums, a screw l driven with said drum and a nut traveling on said screw and engaging with the other drum to turn the same when the driven drum has turned a predetermined amount.

In testimony whereof I afx my signaturey in the presence of two witnesses.

EARL II. BROVNING'.

Witnesses:

C. REED GREGG, .TULrA A. BRowNINe.

IOC)

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